Over-achieving Harrogate Railway plan for more next season

One point from two games will not derail the positives of the season at Station View, according to Harrogate Railway boss Billy Miller.

Bogey side Radcliffe Borough took maximum points from a scrappy affair in Harrogate on Saturday 1-0 before Railway gave up a lead in Greater Manchester on Tuesday to play out a 2-2 draw with Mossley.

It leaves Railway stuck in ninth-place on 63 points, with only two more fixtures to play.

Saturday’s tricky clash at Northwich Victoria will be followed by a home outing against Lancaster City on the final day of the season.

“We still have that target of 65 points. If we can get to that sooner rather than later we will increase it,” said Miller.

“We are still around the top ten. I think we should just rejoice that we are still up there. We still have some inconsistencies and we don’t have a great depth to the squad. But we have got a great set of players here.”

The Railway board has rewarded Miller’s success in the 2014/15 season with a budget increase for the next campaign, but the gaffer insisted he would spend it wisely.

Malachi Farquharson, the opening goalscorer on Tuesday night, will leave Station View to study a masters at university in Birmingham. But Miller does not expect radical changes.

He said: “We have talked about next year and where we take it. There’s one or two players who we can go out and target, with an increase in the budget.

“We will sit down and reflect on where we are and where we want to be.

“We have spoken to most of the players now. Malachi will move on because he’s going to do a Master degree in Birmingham so that will be an area we will need to strengthen.

“We have probably only used 21 or 22 players this season, and that’s something we will continue to do.”

Farquharson’s first half strike at Mossley was cancelled out after half-time when goalkeeper Tom Goodwin’s poor kick fell straight to a Mossley player 40 yards out.

Vincent Dhesi put Railway back in front with a deft touch, but the hosts levelled again five minutes from the end through Tom Pratt.

Saturday’s clash was one to forget for the Railway faithful as both teams struggled to fashion chances. The only goal of the game came from a contentious free-kick, which Sam McMahon chased in and scored.